Advancing apparatus for coiling elongated flexible material

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for advancing elongated, flexible element such as bare or insulated wire, fed into an axis and from the axis to a coiling head, rotating on the axis for coiling the wire on a drum which rotates in opposite direction, the respective lowest coiled loop drops from the drum for further storage. Rotation of the drum is derived from rotation of the head by a planetary gearing.

United States Paten n91 Frisch 1 June 19, 1973 1 ADVANCING APPARATUS FOR COILING ELONGATED FLEXIBLE MATERIAL [75] inventor:

[73] Assignee: FRISCH Kabel-und Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH,

Ratingen, Germany June 23, 1971 Hans Frisch, Dusseldorf, Germany [22] Filed:

. 211 App]. No.: 155,864

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 24, 1970 Germany P 20 31 050.3

[52 US. (:1. 242/82 [51] Int. Cl. B2lc 47/14 [58] Field of Search 242/82, 83

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,929,574 3/1960 Henning 242/82 2,927,744 3/1960 Nyc 242/82 l,992,430 2/1935 Johnson 242/83 3,360,212 12/1967 Frisch 242/82 Primary Examiner-George F. Mautz Assistant Examiner-Edward J. McCarthy Att0rney-Ralf H. Siegemund. Smyth, Rosten &

Pavitt [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for advancing elongated, flexible element 1 such as bare or insulated wire, fed into an axis and from the axis to a coiling head, rotating on the axis for coiling the wire on a drum which rotates in opposite direction, the respective lowest coiled loop drops from the drum for further storage. Rotation of the drum is derived from rotation of the head by a planetary gearing.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure T l 1 l French Patent No. 1,237,747, corresponding approximately to U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,339, discloses apparatus, wherein wire is wound onto drum by means of a winding or coiling head. Particularly, the material is paid axially to the level of the rotating head and runs radially to the head, which winds the wire onto the drum by means of an obliquely positioned pulley joumalled on an arm. A wobble ring causes the loops as wound to be sequentially pushed down into a container or the like, and the wire so coiled and stored is withdrawn from the container at high speed.

In accordance with the German Patent No. 1,083,204, similar type winding or coiling equipment is known, and particularly the drum onto which wire is wound, is driven in the same direction as the winding head; but very slowly, there is a considerable transmission ratio such as about 1 to 180, the coiling head having the faster speed. Turning of the drum in cooperation with a deflection member positioned below the drum has the purpose of disposing the wire loops in a rosetta like configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,956 is along similar lines. As disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,212, the coiled wire may drop around an intermediate store and is then taken from there, from below, for further use.

Recent development, particularly in the art of wire drawing machines etc., has led to the need for advancing wire at greater and greater speed. Particularly, the number of revolutions per minute of the coiling head has to be increased. As the coiling equipment is of eccentric construction, the wear of the components, such as the bearings, is drastically increased. In accordance with the German Patent No. 1,083,204, showing the drum receiving the coils turning in the same direction as the winding head, there is the additional disadvantage that for any particular high speed of the advancing wire, the winding head has to revolve at a still higher rate than in case of a stationary drum.

There is a practical limit for the load that can be taken by the bearings. This is particularly true for the bearings of the obliquely joumalled coiling pulley and of a planetary shaft drive; the effective centrifugal force strains the components to the limit, as was found particularly in the case of drawing wire through a copper wire rolling machine. It was, therefore, found that there is a definite upper limit for wire advancing and coiling, and, if exceeded, the apparatus will break down. As such coiling apparatus is usually part of a continuous production line, production will stop accordingly.

Not only is the wear of bearings or the like a limiting factor for wire withdrawing and speed, but other, previously unknown phenomena arise. The obliquely positioned pulley ofa coiling head revolves analogous to an air foil with a definite angle of attack. That pulley actually experiences a significant aerodynamic lift, which cannot be ignored. Accordingly, special means have to be provided for compensating that lift, to quiet the rotation of the winding head. The German Petty-Patent No. 6,921,185 describes means for offsetting aerodynamic lift on such a head.

Therefore, one can readily see that the known withdrawing equipment seem to have reached a limit as to operational speed. Further increase in wire speed necessitates a larger turning radius for the coiling head, which may seem to be desirable as a large diameter of the coiled wire is desirable to store significant quantities of coiled wire in one storage barrel or drum before it has to be exchanged for an empty one. However, a wide, outrigging coiling head for purposes of accommodating increasing wire speed exhibits necessarily larger centrifugal force that act on the head as a whole and on the bearings for the oblique coiling pulley in particular, and that sets the limit on the operational speed. The known equipment seems to have reached that limit. The centrifugal force problem requires smaller turning radius of the coiling head. Coiling speed can be increased here, but that, in turn, results in smaller size of the coils as wound, requiring frequent change of the storage barrel or drum which is undesirable, as subsequent processing requires large quantities of wire in a barrel or on a drum. Accordingly, barrels with large diameter require large disc and large coiling heads.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate specific, high speed problems as presently existing in wire coiling apparatus, to boost their operational limit and to change construction and operation of the known coiling machines, so that, in fact, higher speed operation is permitted. Therefore, the invention relates to particular improvements of apparatus for advancing and coiling elongated, flexible material such as bare or insulated wires or the like, which is wound or coiled upon a drum by means of a coiling head which revolves about the axis of the drum, whereby the respective lowest loop drops from the drum or isotherwise taken off therefrom, as a new loop is coiled above. In accordance with a particular feature of the invention, it is suggested to drive both, coiling head and drum, onto which the material is coiled, but in opposite directions whereby the drum rotates substantially faster than the coiling head. In the known apparatus, the wire that was wound on a drum remained temporarily stationary thereon until removed in axial direction, and the speed of the wire was determined only by the peripheral speed of the rotating coiling head. However, in accordance with the invention, the counter rotation of the drum establishes a speed differential relative to the rotation of the coiling head, so that the elongated material can be paid into the apparatus at a correspondingly higher speed.

It follows from the foregoing, that the coiling head with its eccentrical bearings for a coiling pulley may revolve at speeds that is well within the margin of safety of its moving and bearing parts. The drum onto which the flexible material is wound rotates oppositely and its speed is selected to match the higher propagation speed for the material as entering the coiling apparatus. For example, the drum speed can be adapted to a higher production speed of a wire making or processing machine or the like. As this drum does not have to have eccentrical positioned bearings, it will actually rotate faster than the coiling head. i

It is suggested in accordance with another feature of the present invention, to provide a common drive for the drum as well as for the coiling head; the drive is primarily coupled to the coiling head and a planetary gear with high transmission ratio provides rotation in the opposite direction and imparts same upon the drum.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention, it is believed that the invention, the objects and features of the invention and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

The FIGURE illustrates somewhat schematically a cross section through a coiling apparatus as an example in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Proceeding to the detailed description of the drawings, the object of the illustrated apparatus is to withdraw elongated, flexible material 1, such as wire, strands, filaments etc., from equipment that is not shown but that pays that material at a particular rate. A first pulley 2 is provided to change the direction of advance of material 1 into an axis 44. A coiling head 3 is provided, including a hollow shaft 41, journalled in stationary structure, such as housing 40, by means of bearings 6, 61 and possible others. A short worm gear 4 is geared to the output shaft of a motor (not shown), the shaft extending transverse to the plane of the drawing. Gear 4 constitutes the drive input for the apparatus, and is mounted on shaft 41 to rotate same.

Coiling head 3 includes a case or member 31, likewise secured to shaft 41 for rotation on axis 44. Member 31 contains a pulley 5, which veers wire 1 out of axis 44 radially outwardly toward a pulley 7, which is mounted on an arm 71 and on an oblique axis. 7 is the coiling pulley proper. Arm 71 is a cantilever or outrigging, radial extension from member 31, and rotates on the axis 44 as indicated by arrow 14. As pulley 7 revolves about that axis, wire 1 is wound onto a drum 8, disposed coaxial to axis 44.

Thus far, the device operates in a manner known per se, but now, in accordance with the present invention,

' drum 8 is caused to rotate as indicated by arrow 15. In

order to provide for this rotation, a large diameter gear '9 is secured to housing portion or stationary support 42, and bearing 61 journals rotating shaft 41 in gear 9. A small or pinion gear 11 is a planetary gear that revolves around gear 9. Gear 11 is mounted on a planetary shaft 10, which is eccentrically journalled in member 31, thus, serving as a gear housing. As bearing case 31 of. coiling head 3 rotates about axis 44, fast rotational speed is imparted upon pinion 11 about the axis of shaft 10. A large gear 12 is provided and secured to the other end of shaft 10, and rotates therewith. Gear 12 meshes with a smaller gear 13, which, in turn, is secured to disc or drum 8.

Gear 13 is smalier than gear 12 so that gear 13 does, in fact, turn oppositely to rotation of head 3. As head 3 rotates in direction of arrow 14, oppositely direction rotation is imparted on drum 8, as indicated by arrow 15. Depending upon the chosen gear ratio in the driving train 9, 11, 12, 13, drum 8 will rotate faster than coiling head 3, with arm 71 and coiling pulley '7. Drum 8, of course, is journalled on shaft 41 A carrier 43 for a deflecting element 45 rotates underneath drum 8. A planetary gearing 46 is provided having a sun wheel on shaft 41 meshing with a planetary gear that is journalled on a pin 47 which extends down from drum 3. Therefor, the axis of the planetary gear revolves about axis 44 at the rate of rotation of drum 8, while meshing with the sun wheel that rotates with shaft 41.

The planetary gear meshes additionally in a spur gear 48 along the inner periphery of carrier 43 for driving same. The carrier 43, thus, rotates in the same direction as drum 8, but at a considerably reduced rate. The

deflecting element 45 disposes a rosetta loop pattern below the arrangement shown. For speed reduction by planetary gearing 46 of l:30, the rosetta peaks are phase shifted by 12. This, however, is mentioned here as example only.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but all changes and modifications thereof not constituting departures from the spirt and scope of the invention are intended to be included.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for advancing elongated, flexible material such as bare or insulated wire, fed into an axis and from the axis to a coiling head'rotatable on the axis for coiling'the wire on a drum, the improvement comprising the combination of:

means coupled to the head for rotating the head on the axis for winding the wire onto the drum in plural loops from which the respective lowest coiled loop drops for further storage while the remaining loops remain stationary relative to the drum; and means coupled to the drum for driving the drum to rotate on the axis in a direction opposite to rotation of the coiling head and substantially faster than the rotation of the head so that the flexible material advances at a speed which is the sum of the rotational speed of the head and the oppositely rotating drum.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, there being a common drive for the head and the drum, and transmission means coupled to the drum and to the head to provide oppositely directed rotation for the head and the drum.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2, the transmission means including a planetary gear with a large transmission ratio for turning the drum at a rate faster than the rate of turning the head. 

1. Apparatus for advancing elongated, flexible material such as bare or insulated wire, fed into an axis and from the axis to a coiling head rotatable on the axis for coiling the wire on a drum, the improvement comprising the combination of: means coupled to the head for rotating the head on the axis for winding the wire onto the drum in plural loops from which the respective lowest coiled loop drops for further storage while the remaining loops remain stationary relative to the drum; and means coupled to the drum for driving the drum to rotate on the axis in a direction opposite to rotation of the coiling head and substantially faster than the rotation of the head so that the flexible material advances at a speed which is the sum of the rotational speed of the head and the oppositely rotating drum.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1, there being a common drive for the head and the drum, and transmission means coupled to the drum and to the head to provide oppositely directed rotation for the head and the drum.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2, the transmission means including a planetary gear with a large transmission ratio for turning the drum at a rate faster than the rate of turning the head. 